Fausto Puglisi / Pre-Fall 2014

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Here is a short list of the things Fausto Puglisi loves: New York (even in the rain), the color of swimming pools, the color of oranges, A-lines, straight lines, conservative women, sexy women, legs. So, pretty much everything. It’s not only that the Sicilian designer embodies that quintessentially Italian appetite for life (or that those who work in fashion have a tendency towards hyperbole), but that what Puglisi loves most of all is what he does.

For his first pre-fall collection, the designer expanded on the look for which he’s become known—sometimes wild, other times subversively demure clothing with always a touch of rock ’n’ roll—and extrapolated with fantastic new coats and knits. The sweaters were mostly shrunken and in animal-print intarsia, while the coats, with their Mondrian color-blocking and excellent construction (the wool is produced by the same people who supply Queen Elizabeth II, he said), showed a strong understanding of the kinds of lightweight, clean, but still engaging pieces women want to wear.

Of course, one of the secrets to Puglisi’s work is that he dresses not only the wife and the mistress but also the daughter and the mother-in-law. So for every black-and-white reverse abstract leopard-print­ skirt that hit just below the knee, there was one that stopped mid-thigh, one hiked even higher and with a panel of leather and a solid-color skirt suit with a gold-buttoned jacket.

Puglisi hinted that the geometric patterns of an evening shirtdress and intricate zebra-like stripes on exaggerated crinoline skirts, while all elements he was thrilled with for the season, weren’t necessarily indicative of what he’s thinking for fall. “I love Ballets Russes,” he said coyly. Add that to the list.